Almost There
by The Lady of Roses
Summary: Takes place near the end of the sixth season. Chandler has always been afraid of commitment even with Monica. But when Kathy suddenly appears and they start talking, Chandler realizes that he might be more ready to marry Monica then he thought.


Chandler checked his watch. It was four forty-five. He was supposed to meet Monica fifteen minutes ago. She was going to be furious. Monica was strict about many things, one of them was being punctual. Especially today when they were going to have lunch with Monica's parents.

Chandler cursed inwardly as he practically flew down the street. She was going to kill him, that was for sure. Technically, it wasn't really his fault. Joey had bought a new game station and they had spent most of the afternoon playing on it. So if one would think about it, it was Joey's entire fault. Of course, knowing Monica, she'd lecture them both regardless of whose fault it was.

Chandler checked his watch again. Yep, he was a dead man. Monica was probably making excuses for him right now. Mrs. Geller had probably made a snide comment about Chandler's tardiness, making her daughter even more annoyed.

Chandler wished he could run faster. Maybe if he attempted at going to the gym, he'd be in better shape. But that was another grievance for another day. Right now, he had to focus on getting to the restaurant where his girlfriend and her parents were.

Chandler was so focused on getting to the restaurant before he got an angry phone call from Monica, that he didn't see a brown haired woman exit a grocery store. By the time he did, he had already bumped into her, causing the food in her bags to spill out onto the ground.

"I am so sorry," Chandler apologized as he helped her pick up her food. "I was running too fast. They don't put breaks on feet unfortunately." Chandler chuckled at his own joke.

"It's quite all right. Thank you for- Chandler?"

Chandler looked up in surprise, recognizing the voice. "Kathy," he spluttered.

* * *

"He'll be here soon," Monica said firmly, checking her watch.

"Well perhaps we should order, dear," Mrs. Geller suggested. "Chandler does seem to always be late."

Monica rolled her eyes. One would think after the eventful Thanksgiving they had her mother wouldn't make jibes about Chandler. But then again, her mother always seemed to find a way to criticize her choices.

"You know what. I'm going to call Joey. Maybe Chandler forgot that he was supposed to come," Monica remarked, getting up. She actually knew that Chandler had already left but she wanted an excuse to get away from her mother for a few minutes.

Monica went outside and dialed Joey's number.

"Hello?"

"Hi Rach," Monica greeted her best friend. "Please tell me that Chandler's not still there playing video games."

"No. Joey said he left twenty minutes ago. He should be at the restaurant by now," Rachel answered.

"Well he's not here, otherwise, I wouldn't be calling," Monica snapped.

"Geez, no need to be grumpy, Mon. I'm sure Chandler is on his way," Rachel told her gently.

"I'm sorry. It's just my mother is driving me crazy," Monica apologized. "She's unbelievable. She keeps saying—"

"Monica, I have to go. I have a big work meeting but when I get home, I promise you can complain about your mother to me all you want," Rachel assured her.

"And Chandler," Monica said, still annoyed.

"And Chandler," Rachel agreed.

* * *

"You look great," Kathy told Chandler after she released him form her hug.

"You do too," Chandler commented.

"How long has it been since we've seen each other?" Kathy asked with a smile.

"I believe it was two years ago after we broke up," Chandler answered, awkwardly.

"Well I was hoping we'd skip the awkward part," Kathy muttered with a sigh. "You know never got a chance to tell you how sorry I was for cheating on you. I mean when we broke up, I kinda focused on the fact that I was mad at you."

"I understand. After all, I was there with the whole break thing with Ross and Rachel," Chandler joked. "At least we didn't get married in Vegas." Kathy's eyes widened. "It's a long story."

"You know we have a lot to catch up on," Kathy commented. "Do you want to go get some lunch?"

Chandler's eyes widened. "I can't. I was supposed to meet Monica for lunch twenty-five minutes ago. How about we met in Central Perk tomorrow?" He suggested.

"Sounds good. I can't wait to hear the Vegas story," Kathy told him with a chuckle.

Chandler quickly said goodbye and ran towards the restaurant where Monica was waiting.


End file.
